Homemade Wood Stoves

Do you know that it's possible to make your own homemade wood stoves?

Let's face it - heating costs are going up and they're not coming back down any time soon. The use of natural gas, oil, and expensive electric services is a great way to spend thousands of dollars a year heating your home.

Here's the good news - If you can find a used hot water heater and want to try and replace the pricey piped in energy you use for your heating, homemade wood stoves are a great option.

You will need to be of a good standard when it comes to DIY, but if you are and little thrifty and have the skills you can get this done!

What You'll Need To Make Your Own Wood Stoves

Old Water Heater

Once upon a time, home made wood stoves were made with old 55 gallon drums.

Today, they are more often put together with garbage hot water tanks because they are easier to find and actually work a little better.

They are thicker than the barrels so they will last longer and they can be made more airtight than a drum ever could be.

Many people are now even using these homemade wood stoves in their homes instead of just in a garage or shop where no one cares how ugly they can be.

Building Home Made Wood Stoves

After finding your 30-50 gallon electric water heater, make sure the inside of it is fit for conversion. It should not have any rust or corrosion inside.

Make sure you remove the steel wrap layer around the heater to get to the inside and check - this part is very important.

Now, turn the hot water heater on its side and weld on small metal pegs for legs - the size and style is up to you - they just need to be able to hold the heater up.

Now, cut off part of the top of the heater and turn it upside down and weld it back in place.

Weld vertical sides and a flat section of the steel to the top of the upside down section of the water heater you cut out to create an air channel for inside the stove.

Place a hole in the back of that upside down piece to funnel air into the channel. You will ensure the gas in the stove goes forward toward the room and not up and away from the room when heating.

Now, drill a hole in the back of the stove top and make a cover that you can attach to a steel rod for easy opening and closing of the air vent. This is to make lighting your stove easier.

Now, create a hole near the bottom of the stove that you can pipe outdoors where the stove can draw air from. You don't want to draw the air from inside the house. It wastes heat and can be dangerous. Attach a lever here to control the intake as well.

If your home does not already have a chimney pipe, install one in the roof that you can then attach to the vents on the back of your new wood stove.

Finally, if you so choose, you can paint your new homemade wood stove whatever color you like. It will make it fit into your home more effectively and preserve the metal.

This project might seem like a lot of work, and it's true that you would need to be a fairly good DIYer.

But it can save you a tremendous amount of money over a pricey wood stove from the department store and it can be a fun and rewarding project for you and your family.